I really love those old animated holiday programs from the sixties and seventies that are shown on television at this time of year.  They bring back a lot of fond memories for me – but especially the excitement I felt as I watched the first snow falling and how beautiful and peaceful it looked. I loved the anticipation of what winter had in store for me.  Something about the music that forms the foundation of these cartoons conjures up pictures of the last reds and golds of autumn being replaced by a blanket of white, of spinning on a skating rink, of building a snowman and of soaring across a snowy sky.

Those cartoons are wonderful to watch, and I marvel at the imagery captured by the artists who created them.  Still, just closing your eyes while you listen to the music can ignite your imagination, and let you see what those artists could see and dream of skating, making snow angels and sipping hot chocolate. I want to share three short animated films and the music that makes them so vibrant and wonderful.  In my opinion these films and pieces of music truly capture everything winter – the cold, the wind, the snow, the excitement and the joy.  Take a moment to listen to the compositions of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Vince Guaraldi and Howard Blake and hear the magic of winter.

Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers

Charlie Brown Christmas – Skating

Walking in the Air